The banana bread craze of 2020 may have passed, but the question of what to do with overly ripe bananas has not. I am not a baker by choice, so I always look for easy ways to bake. The cake mix banana bars with cream cheese frosting recipe is so easy to make with a white cake mix, and the banana bars were moist thanks to the creamed butter and sour cream. Cream cheese-frosted banana bars were big on flavor and definitely a crowd pleaser.
Little secret: I don't like bananas, but I do love banana muffins, banana bread, and banana waffles. I am also a sucker for good bars like the Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars with Crescent Rolls or brookie bars. I also love anything with cream cheese icing, so of course, this banana cake with cream cheese frosting was destined to come out of my oven.
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Ingredients for a Cake Mix Banana Bars Recipe
Use a clear shot of the ingredients for this recipe, prepped, and labeled if necessary. Add a paragraph of content describing why these ingredients were chosen. Insert the ingredients into the list below, omitting quantities.
- Cake Mix—I used the white cake mix I had in the pantry, but a yellow cake mix or a spice cake mix could also be used.
- Butter—A softened stick of butter, not melted. You will need butter for both the cake and the frosting. Bakers prefer unsalted butter, but I normally have salted butter on hand.
- Eggs - Lay the large eggs out to get them to room temperature.
- Sour Cream - Yes, sour cream, but if you don't have sour cream, you can use buttermilk or yogurt.
- Vanilla - I use real vanilla extract, but you can also use imitation vanilla.
- Bananas - The ripe, brown bananas work the best.
- Cream Cheese - A block of cream cheese, softened to room temperature.
- Powdered Sugar
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions - How to Make Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and then make this easy banana bars recipe.
Begin by creaming the softened butter in a large bowl for 2-3 minutes. You want the butter to be really fluffy.
Then add the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla to the creamed butter. Mix to get thoroughly mixed together, and there is no visibility of egg yolks.
Finally, stir in the cake mix and ripe bananas. Don't use the mixer; you don't want to overmix the cake mix and liquids. Break the bananas up as you stir. For smaller pieces of bananas, mash them before mixing them in.
Dump the cake mix batter into a greased and parchment-lined sheet pan or jelly roll pan that is 15x10x1 in size. Spread it out to the corners. Place in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Depending on the oven, the cake should bake in about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it the first time you make it. When a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean it is done. The banana cake was a light golden color.
While the cake is baking or cooling, make the cream cheese frosting.
For the frosting, beat the cream cheese, softened butter, and vanilla in a mixing bowl.
Slowly add the powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture until the cream cheese icing reaches the desired thickness or consistency.
Spread the cream cheese frosting out over the banana sheet cake. Then cut the bars into 12, 15, or 16 pieces depending on how you want to cut them.
Hint: If your frosting is too thick add a splash of milk to the frosting.
Substitutions
If you don't have the ingredients for this banana bar recipe or have dietary restrictions, here are ways to make ingredient substitutions.
- Cake Mix - If you prefer homemade instead of boxed cake mix, you can substitute it with a homemade cake mix. Use 1 ยพ cups of all-purpose flour, 1 ยฝ teaspoons of baking powder, ยฝ teaspoon of baking soda, ยผ teaspoon of salt, and ยพ cup of granulated sugar.
- Bananas - If you don't have ripe bananas or want to use a different fruit, you can try substituting mashed ripe avocados, applesauce, or pumpkin puree for the mashed bananas. Remember that the flavor and texture will vary depending on the substitution you choose.
- Butter - Vegetable shortening, such as Crisco, can be used as a substitute for softened butter. However, keep in mind that shortening lacks the flavor of butter, so you may need to adjust the seasonings in your recipe accordingly.
By making these substitutions, you can tailor the recipe to suit your dietary needs and preferences while still enjoying the deliciousness of cake mix banana bars with cream cheese frosting. Experiment with different variations to discover your favorite combination!
Variations
There are numerous variations you can try to customize the cake mix banana bars with cream cheese frosting recipe according to your taste preferences. Here are some ideas:
- Nutty Banana Bars - Add chopped nuts such as walnuts, pecans, or almonds to the banana bar batter for added texture and flavor. You can also sprinkle chopped nuts on the cream cheese frosting for extra crunch.
- Banana Split Bars - Top the cream cheese frosting with sliced strawberries, crushed pineapple, and mini chocolate chips to mimic the flavors of a classic banana split dessert.
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bars - Fold in a cup of chocolate chips or chunks into the banana bar batter before baking for a delightful chocolatey twist. Mini chocolate chips work incredibly well in this recipe.
Feel free to get creative and experiment with different flavor combinations to create your own signature version of cake mix banana bars with cream cheese frosting. The possibilities are endless!
Baking Essential Equipment
Make baking easier with the essential equipment to make this banana bars recipe. Here are my favorite baking essentials.
Storing cake or bars with cream cheese frosting.
These bars will be so good you will want to be sure you don't have them go bad.
Store the bars in the refrigerator for the longest shelf life. If you don't like cold banana bars, you can leave them on the counter for up to 3 days.
Freezing the banana bars works, too. You can absolutely freeze the bars for up to 2 months and enjoy them in the future.
Top tip
Here are some top tips and tricks for the ultimate banana sheet cake with cream cheese frosting.
- Do not over mix the cake mix with the liquid ingredients. Just stir until it is combined, then stop.
- Mashed bananas work best for smaller pieces of banana in the cake. For larger pieces of banana, add broken pieces of banana to the cake mix when you stir to combine.
- Using both cooking spray and parchment paper makes the cake easier to get out of the pan.
FAQ
Yes, these banana bars can be frozen. You can either freeze them prior to frosting them or after. For ease of enjoying them, wrap them individually and take one out of the freezer at a time.
Cake Mix Dessert Recipes
Looking for other cake mix, cookie mix, or brownie mix recipes like this? Try these:
- Cake Mix Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Brownie Monster Cookie Bars
- Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins Made with Spice Cake Mix
- Apple Cider Donut Muffins Made With Yellow Cake Mix
Fruit Dessert Ideas
These are my favorite recipes that use fresh, frozen or canned fruit in them:
- Classic Watergate Salad: A Retro Pistachio Fluff Dream
- Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies Recipe
- High Protein Peaches and Cream Overnight Oats
- Strawberry Pretzel Salad
๐ Recipe
Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Banana Bars
- ½ cup butter
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 box white cake mix
- 2 bananas
Cream Cheese Icing
- 1, 8 ounce block of cream cheese room temperature
- 8 tablespoons butter room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Banana Bars
- Cream the butter for 2-3 minutes with a hand mixer in a large bowl.
- Mix the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla into the creamed butter.
- Stir the mashed bananas and cake mix into the liquid ingredients. Stir until just combined.
- Spread the batter in a greased and parchment paper lined 15x10x1 inch jelly roll pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. When a toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.
- Spread frosting or other desired frosting toppings.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together
- Slowly add the powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture. When banana bars are cooled spread icing over top of the cake.
Notes
Nutrition
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